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My All Star Break Complete New York Knicks Report Card.

Giants89FLY's Official Knicks Allstar Break Report Card

Enjoy! (Sorry for the long read, Comments and thoughts also welcomed and appreciated!)

Head Coach Mike D'Antoni -

He's got the boys believing they can win. The 6 game losing streak we are currently in bothers me a little bit. However, with the roster we have, lack of talent, and coming off many seasons where we have just been dreadful. D'Antoni brings in a refreshing quick style of play to a roster of overachieving but potentialy great NBA players. 21-31 at the all star break and a chance at the playoffs is something at this point in the season I would have definitely taken.

My Grade : B+

Wilson Chandler

Chandler has really surprised me this year. He's reliable Averaging 13.7 points per game. He's a quality player that I hope has longevity with the knicks.

My Grade : Solid B

Eddy Curry

Now normally when a player plays in only one game his grade would be incomplete. However, with all of his off court issues - Weight, Family Issues, Gay Taxi Driver relationship and god knows what else. Curry is dead weight that I hope we can find a way to trade. I feel for him with his family issue but Basketball is a business.

My Grade - F

Chris Duhon

I think Duhon is a very solid player...However, For everything good he does I think there are a couple things he does bad. He's an average player but doing well in D'Antoni's system. I cant lean one way or the other on him because of his inconsistentcy. And I believe it was metrocard who said he was a "C" level talent. And I totally agree.
My Grade - C

Danilo Gallinari

Back Issues worried me in the beginning of the year. Glad he's back playing. He needs to get stronger has a tough time driving to the basket, Pretty decent handles for a big man and is an excellent shooter. I think we all can agree that at 18 we may have a future NBA star in the making until then the Jury is still out. But the kid's got potential

My grade - C-

Al Harrington

20 points per game is decent. He reminds of Crawford at times. Not a reliable shooter. Would not want him to take any type of a big shot in a big game situation. Also the Technical against the clippers was absolutely inexcusable. He Needs to get his head out of his ass.
My Grade - C

Jerome James

Hurt out for the year.Never played anyways. Has a huge contract and provides nothing valuable for the team.

My grade - F

Jarred Jeffries

Ah, the weak link of the knicks. Where do I start? Cannot play D to save his life, Horrible shooter. I cringe everytime he shoots the ball. Has a very low basketball IQ. The day he leaves the knicks I will throw a party equivalent to New Year's Eve in times square. To be fair because he is playing this year I wont give him an F.

My grade - D

David Lee

I think everyone will agree David Lee is the best player on the Knicks right now. Averaging a double double this season. Was an all-star snubb, And has been without a doubt our most consistent player. I hope he resigns if we dont trade him. If we do trade him, we better include curry in the deal.

My Grade - A

Stephon Marbury

I like him as a person, but when we get older and look back at Marbury we will be reminded of the dark times that accompanied him throughout his knicks career. It might not be all of his fault. After this year he's gone... See ya later man.
My Grade - Incomplete

Quentin Richardson

Cant lean one way or the other on him. Now he's hurt. Not sure its serious. He's a decent shooter. I dont mind him, Averages 11 points per game in almost 29 minutes per game. Not great. But Not Bad. We could probably see better from him, But it is what it is. MAJORLY INCONSISTENT He's another player I would'nt mind going.

My Grade - D+

Anthony Roberson

Nothing really to write about here. Hasnt played much came off the bench the last two games and hit some threes. Nice to see him get some time. Nothing that great...
My grade - D-

Nate Robinson

Coming off the bench He provides us a great spark! I like the kid, Has a great passion for the game of basketball. Takes Some stupid ass shots and makes dumb decisions in crunch time situations. Has begun to grow on me throughout the course of a season... Great role player and a nice piece for the knicks. If they trade him and can cut salary or get something decent in return I wouldn't mind. Until then good job Nate
My grade - B+

Malik Rose
Not even worth getting into. I'll give him the same grade I gave JJ. Just because he has stayed healthy I'll give him some love. No "F"

My Grade - D-

Tim Thomas

Decent Shooter, Him an Gallinari are similar in style.. PLays 21 Mins a game and averages 9 a game. Decent numbers and I dont think he hurts the team.

My grade - C

Overall Team Analysis

I think this team can improve tremendously. We have made great strides under D'Antoni and will continue to improve. We have a shot to make the post-season So we deff have something to play for the remainder of the season. At the break this year we are close to equaling the number of wins we had last year. that in itself is obviously great improvement. But with a Mediocre player rotation and overachieving players how long can we keep this up? I like what I'm seeing though! And I would love to see them in the post-season... As far as a grade goes :

However, I think Duhon is better than a C. He should get a B to B- for going way past expectations and being one of the most important players on the team.

A season ago, Jameer Nelson might have been labled a C talent. Well now he's an all star and is on a premier team on the east. There isn't too many teams that would trade their starting pg for him and he has a rare contract that pays him what he should be getting paid.

D. Lee- A- :not a good enough defender to get a solid A, plus FT shooting dipped a bit, still the All Star consideration has been a bright spot for us, plus his offensive game seems to get better every month.

Duhon- B to B-: A lot Better than expected, far from perfect. Assist and minutes are up, but so are TO's.

Q Rich- C-: When he's hot he's decent, looks almost unstopable in the post which is why he doesnt get a D, still bricking way too many wide open shots and taking shots he shouldnt even be considering.

Al Harrington C-: This is an extremely generous grade I think considering last night, shot selection, and how out of controll he plays. Has knocked down timely hoops for us and The NBA player of the week keeps him from a D+

Jared Jefferies: C: This is major considering dude was a solid D- the past two seasons. Offensive game still sucks, but, I like how he has been able to play D on elite PGs at times. Exceeded what I thought we would get from him.

Nate B: You know what you're going to get with Nate. So you take the good with the bad.

Wilson C+: Looks too shy at times, but when he has played aggressive really shows his promise. Our only shot blocker also helps. But, I think he weighs too heavily on the J at times this season. Can get us anywhere from 24 to 4 and not like Crawford; Wilson will score just 4 because he isnt getting himself in the game. Still my favorite Knick thus far this season.

Tim Thomas C: Like Nate you know what you're going to get from him. No more, no less!

Danillo Gallanari INC: I said it before, his spot minute production is misleading to where he really is. But, if he plays more and doesnt play well, then you can't hold that against him either due to his injury and his lack of games played. Clearly has a nice shot, but, still has much to learn. But no doubt has the ability to be a good player in years to come.

Malik Rose A+: Class act! Came in last night in the second half and played hard like he has been apart of the rotation all along. Certain players who were intially left out of the rotation can take a page out of his book.

Jerome James INC: Would be an F even if he did play

Curry INC: Cant help but feel for his personal setbacks. No one really expected him to be Dwight Howard coming into camp, but, coming to camp out of shape after a sit down meeting with his new coach when his coach pleaded with him to be in the best shape of his life would warrent an Big Red Letter F had he not gone through these issues.

Anthony Robertson D: A shooter and nothing more.

"I'd Rather Melo shoot with 3 men on him than Jefferies shotting wide open"

Nice effort, but you guys don't have to bother grading Jerome James. But kudos on being able to find a picture of him playing for us lol.

I think you're being too hard on Jeffries and Duhon. Jeffries kinda sucks, but he hustles, gets rebound, plays average defense (which on this team is important), so I would give him at least a C-. Duhon has been arguably our most important player. He's the leader of this team, and really helps Lee get his shots (not taking anything away from Lee). I would give him at least a B-.

Nice effort, but you guys don't have to bother grading Jerome James. But kudos on being able to find a picture of him playing for us lol.

I think you're being too hard on Jeffries and Duhon. Jeffries kinda sucks, but he hustles, gets rebound, plays average defense (which on this team is important), so I would give him at least a C-. Duhon has been arguably our most important player. He's the leader of this team, and really helps Lee get his shots (not taking anything away from Lee). I would give him at least a B-.

I think he got that pic on Nba.com.

And Duhon should be a B-. He came and played, living up to expectation. He's the reason we're so close to tying our 23-59 record. Before the ASG. And he definitely is a factor when it comes to Lee. They work the pick and roll extremely well, not as well as Amare and Steve, but really close.

I think when grading a player you have to grade them on what was expected of them coming into the season and how they performed (salary you get paid brings certain expectations). If your grades are comparable to other NBA players (w/ like Kobe and Lebron being A+) nobody on the knicks would receive higher than a B-. Therefore my grades deal with what I expected from them coming into the season. B- being performed accordingly, above B- outperformed and below B- underperformed.

D'Antoni = A : I do not think anything more can be expected from this guy with what he has been given. We have 21 wins (2 less than all of last yr) are in the playoff hunt and has his team believing they can win. Before this slide we won 8 of 11 and had nothing but good feelings around the team. Schedule makers dealt us a horrific hand with that week of teams and I hope the team can bounce back. DA's true test will come when we get actual talent and he has to coach big games in the playoffs.

Walsh - B : He made a great trade with Crawford for Harrington. basically got an equal talent with 2 years less on his contract. Crawford is a career LOSER and will never play for a contender. Duhon signing was terrific for obvious reasons. My only gripe was the Zach Randolph trade, even though I cannot complain because we would never be able to build a team with his 16MM on the roster I think we could have gotten more for him. I don't really know what other offers were out there but his value was a lot higher than it is now so perhaps we didnt do as bad.

Duhon - A- : nobody expected this guy to be top 7 in assists and to be a major part of this team's offense. He is a reliable shooter who makes good decisions and leads the team. When he was signed i expected nothing more than a below average point guard. Would take him on my team over a lot of guys making more money. People need to understand the value of leadership and chemistry and this guy has both.

Lee - A - guy has transformed into a phenomenal player. For his salary you cant ask for more production. He has jumped into a second tier PF in the league and is playing tremendous basketball. However if he is resigned at makes 12MM a year he instantly become overrated which is my biggest fear with him.

Q - D - the guy cant shoot he cant play defense he is fat and out of shape. The only thing that saves him from an F is the fact that he does show some leadership. Reduced minutes could become a problem.

Chandler - B+ : as a first round pick you would expect to crack your rotation in his second yr. While he gets somewhat of a pass bc his rookie situation was a disaster. He plays well and sometimes looks like an absolute stud, other times he becomes a ghost. Needs to develop more of an attitude and gain some swagger.

Nate - B : has played out of his mind at times and has also played awful. He single handedly won us the ATL game but cost us many games as well.

Gallo - C + : only gets rated underperformed b/c he was injured for so long which is not really his fault. You have to be happy with what you are seeing given he is less than 20 games into his NBA career, might not be 100% physically, and is only 19 yrs old. He has to learn the AMERICAN way of playing basketball and how to become more involved in the offense. Does seem his teammates shut him out sometimes, but outside of the Clippers game where he shot 2-8 he has played really really well. He is a great shooter and takes guys off the dribble. He has a lot of swag and confidence and seems to be a hard worker.

Harrington - B : exactly what I expected, Crawford in a PF's body who makes less money. I'll take that swap anyday.

Tim THomas - B- also exactly what i expected guy looks like a good rotation player at times and a bum at other times. Seems to excel on DA's teams though.

CURRY - should give him a B- b/c i expect nothing out of this fat piece of **** and that is what i got but b.c he makes so much money he gets a huge F. the guy couldnt give a **** about basketball. All he cares about is jewelry, money and the golden arches. Guy has never touched a weight in his entire life. I remember i went to the Knicks preseason game and sat right next to the Knicks bench. THis ******* spent the entire game talking to RW Mcquarters about his bracelet and where they where going to party later.

Psychological Block

Do you guys have some sort of psychological block, whereby you can't get Gallinari's age right, regardless of how many times other posters clarify on his age? He's 20 years old, going on 21: in August. He's certainly not 18, which the thread maker stated in his report card. He's around the same age as players who are currently contributing to their teams, so let's not make excuses for his inability to play better than he currently is, at least not ones based upon age.

Gallinari is the same age as... Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Brook and Robin Lopez, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Javale McGee, and he's older than Beasley and Anthony Randolph. These are just a few that I looked up. He's actually the same age as, or older than, most of the top 20 2008 draft picks.

As for grading each player, I don't feel like spending time doing that; but I will say that Harrington, like Crawford, is not perfect. However, they can help a team, given the right supporting cast, especially at center: Lee is not a quality defender, definitely not big enough to play center. Duhon is a good point guard, if you want to move towards the way we played in the 90s, a time when the point guard was a facilitator, and nothing much more than that, i.e. Charlie Ward. I've never liked teams that are centered around point guards.

Do you guys have some sort of psychological block, whereby you can't get Gallinari's age right, regardless of how many times other posters clarify on his age? He's 20 years old, going on 21: in August. He's certainly not 18, which the thread maker stated in his report card. He's around the same age as players who are currently contributing to their teams, so let's not make excuses for his inability to play better than he currently is, at least not ones based upon age.

Gallinari is the same age as... Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Brook and Robin Lopez, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Javale McGee, and he's older than Beasley and Anthony Randolph. These are just a few that I looked up. He's actually the same age as, or older than, most of the top 20 2008 draft picks.

As for grading each player, I don't feel like spending time doing that; but I will say that Harrington, like Crawford, is not perfect. However, they can help a team, given the right supporting cast, especially at center: Lee is not a quality defender, definitely not big enough to play center. Duhon is a good point guard, if you want to move towards the way we played in the 90s, a time when the point guard was a facilitator, and nothing much more than that, i.e. Charlie Ward. I've never liked teams that are centered around point guards.

Does Knick coach Dantoni deserve a passing grade for the first-half of the season with a 52 game record of 21-31?
above C average?
I disagree on a passing grade for coach Dantoni....he was supposed to be a big name coach that could handle the Knicks big $$$ name players $21M Marbury, $14M Zach, $9M Curry, $8M Q.Rich, $8M Crawful, $8M Rose, $6M James, and $6M Jefferies.

The above players made up $80M of the Knicks salary cap this season....and only one player (Q.Rich) out of the 8 players has been in Dantoni's rotation the first 41 games of the season....Jefferies played in about 21 games.

The Knicks could've rehired coach Larry Brown being he is still on our pay roll or a rookie head coach Mark Jackson and allowed them to do the samething as Dantoni.... and came out with the same results or better than 21-31 record.

Sports writers and Fans are looking at a 21-31 Knick team at All-Star break the same way owner Dolan did two years ago when he gave Isiah Thomas an extension on his contract....b/c the memory of the previous 23 win season Knicks....did I say 23 wins.....are hard to erase.

Was the hiring of coach Dantoni's job in New York to improve the trading value of the $100M roster....or to DNP high contract players to finally give consistent 30 mpg playingtime to the Knicks 3 young star players Lee, Nate, and Chandler?